---
title: 'UX Culture Example: Notepad++ compared to TextWrangler'
url: /2025/05/ux-culture-notepadpp-textwrangler/
draft: false
categories:
- en
date: 2025-05-21T10:00:49+0200
tags:
- Apple
- Culture
- Design
- Microsoft
- Notepad++
- TextWrangler
- UX
type: post
author: Marcus Rohrmoser
---

I invite you to look at those search-and-replace dialogs of two different
popular 3rd-party text editors on different operating systems. I find it
astonishing, that they are equivalent, feature-wise:

   {{< figure src="2019-09-26-093939-find-replace-notepadpp-0_--_screen_ux.png" height="150" >}}
   {{< figure src="2019-09-26-093939-find-replace-textwrangler_--_crop_screen_ux.png" height="150" >}}

While the one at the top is fixed in size, the lower one lets you adjust and
resizes the text boxes. In both directions.

Imagine dealing with multi-line phrases.

Look at the data-ink ratios. That's UX and graphics design without jumping into
your face but serving a purpose.

While &mdash; technically &mdash; both provide the same features, their design differs
wildly. Both come from small entities, indie developers,
not big corporations. The first is the side-project of an individual, the
second is a product of a small studio.

The visual- and UX-habits of the surrounding OS ecosystems shine through almost
brutally.
